General
LASTMA Official, Driver Beaten Black and Blue
By Punch
There was pandemonium on Wednesday at the Costain area of Lagos State as an official of the Lagos State Management Authority and a bus driver were reportedly beaten to a pulp.
Punch Metro learnt that officials of LASTMA had allegedly apprehended the bus driver at the Costain bus stop, for allegedly violating a traffic rule.
It was alleged that an argument ensued between the driver, his conductor and the officials.
In the ensuing scuffle, a LASTMA official allegedly punched the driver and he slumped.
A mob was reported to have barricaded the road in protest as the driver lay on the floor, foaming in the mouth.
The mob reportedly vandalised a LASTMA patrol car which drove into the protesters at the time, beating up the officials.
They were said to have mobilised and also attacked the LASTMA office in the area and vandalised vehicles in the yard before the intervention of policemen from the Iponri division.
A witness, Ibrahim Adisa, said the incident happened around 9am.
He said, “We saw that the LASTMA officials held the bus driver at the junction for breaking traffic rule. The man did not release the vehicle to them, which started an argument. The driver and the conductor then started fighting the LASTMA men.
“One of the LASTMA officials put his hand in the pocket and brought out a ring which he used to hit the driver. The man fell and started foaming in the mouth. The officials then took his bus into their yard and left him on the ground.
“A mob barricaded the road and vandalised a LASTMA patrol car that came in that time. They beat up all the officials in the car. After that, they carried the man’s body into the LASTMA’s office and chased out the workers.”
Punch Metro learnt that the driver was later taken to a hospital after the police arrived to quell the unrest.
A motorcycle rider said the situation would have been worse but for the intervention of the police.
“Traffic was at a standstill and the hoodlums were looking for LASTMA officials or any government official to attack,” he added.
As of 3pm when our correspondent left the area, no traffic official was in sight as police patrol vehicles mounted surveillance in the area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding investigations were ongoing.
She said, “Yes, I can confirm that LASTMA officials impounded a vehicle and the driver and his conductor engaged the LASTMA officials in fisticuffs, which led to two losing consciousness. The two are the driver and a LASTMA official. They were both rushed to the hospital where they are currently recuperating. Investigation has commenced into the matter.”
The spokesperson for LASTMA, Mr Mahmud Hassan, in a statement, denied that the driver was beaten by an official of the agency.
He explained that some hoodlums, who were attempting to free the driver’s bus, invaded the premises of the agency and vandalised vehicles.
He said, “The commercial bus was apprehended for illegal picking and dropping of passengers in the Costain area. The commercial bus was subsequently taken to the nearest yard of the agency at Iponri for booking.
“However, in a bid to circumvent the law and retrieve the vehicle from LASTMA’s yard, the driver mobilised friends and hoodlums, who attacked the Iponri office of the agency. They injured our personnel and damaged vehicles in the yard. However, when the driver’s action did not yield the desired result, he stripped himself naked and created a scene in order to draw the sympathy of unwary members of the public.
“When the act failed, his friends and hoodlums put him in a wheelbarrow with a clear intention to cause commotion and breakdown of law and order.”
Hassan said two of the hoodlums had been arrested and would be arraigned in court.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Bashir Braimah, according to the statement, said no amount of violence would make the agency to shy away from its statutory responsibility.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it recorded a 30 per cent reduction in gas imbalance on the country’s Western Network following the conclusion of its first-half 2026 Nigerian Gas Network Reconciliation (NGNR) Workshop.
The workshop brought together gas transporters, suppliers, shippers and off-takers to reconcile gas volumes traded between January and June 2026, while introducing a Network Entry/Exit Point Measurement Infrastructure Audit Template aimed at improving metering accuracy and accountability across the gas transmission network.
In a communiqué issued after the workshop, the authority said participants also reviewed the performance of the Nigerian Gas Transmission Network, assessed progress on major pipeline infrastructure projects, and received updates on the ELPS Gas Shrinkage Factor and Hydraulic Modelling Project.
Discussions focused on addressing metering gaps, improving network visibility through Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) integration, and enhancing system reliability ahead of the commissioning of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline System.
The workshop adopted key resolutions, including the execution of outstanding Network Exit Agreements, mandatory submission of measurement audit templates and closer collaboration among industry stakeholders to improve network pressure management.
Speaking at the closing session on behalf of the authority’s chief executive, Mr Rabiu A. Umar, the Director of Transportation Systems and Networks, Mr Joseph G. Musa, said the biannual reconciliation exercise had become critical to promoting equitable gas transactions, transparency, investor confidence and efficient network operations.
Mr Musa noted that since the NGNR process was introduced in 2023, it had significantly improved gas measurement, strengthened regulatory compliance through consequence management, reduced operational imbalances and contributed to a more reliable domestic gas supply.
The workshop concluded with participants adopting the reconciled H1 2026 gas volumes, reaffirming the authority’s commitment to a transparent, efficient and reliable domestic gas market.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An investment that supports growing food and agriculture companies across Africa that strengthen agricultural value chains has been made by Swedfund.
The organisation is putting down about $12 million to strengthen climate resilience in African food systems through the Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund II (ARAF II).
By improving access to markets, finance and essential services, these companies help smallholder farmers become more resilient to climate and economic shocks.
Over 30 million smallholder farmers operate across Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 80 per cent of all farms and producing 70 per cent of the region’s food (IFAD). Yet many face limited access to finance, quality inputs, reliable buyers and market information. At the same time, they are among those most exposed to climate change and weather-related shocks, which threaten harvests, incomes and food security.
The investment has an ambition to reach around four million smallholder farmers through ARAF II’s portfolio companies. It also aims to meet the criteria of the 2X Challenge, which promotes investments that support women’s economic empowerment.
ARAF II invests in businesses that address key gaps in agricultural value chains, from improving market access and reducing post-harvest losses to expanding financial and digital services for farmers. By helping these businesses grow, the investment aims to improve productivity, strengthen local value chains and increase the resilience of food systems.
Swedfund invests alongside other development finance institutions and investors to help mobilise long-term capital for businesses that often struggle to access financing despite their potential to strengthen food security, climate resilience and economic development across Africa.
“Climate change is already affecting the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers across Africa. Investing in businesses that improve access to markets, finance and agricultural services helps farmers strengthen their resilience, increase productivity and build more stable incomes. That is essential for more resilient food systems,” the Investment Director of Food Systems and Strategic Investments at Swedfund, Ms Helen Hagos, said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to order a probe into the alleged diversion, disappearance and misapplication of more than N6.79 billion in public funds within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.
The grave allegations are documented in the latest Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation published on September 9, 2025.
SERAP said, “Anyone suspected to be responsible—including contractors, companies and public officials implicated in the report—should be promptly prosecuted, while all missing public funds, firearms and ammunition should be fully recovered, secured and properly accounted for.”
In the letter dated August 1, 2026, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “The Auditor-General’s findings suggest a grave betrayal of the public trust and raise serious concerns about corruption and the management of public funds, police exhibits, firearms and ammunition.”
SERAP said: “The report also raises serious concerns over missing firearms and ammunition, the unauthorised use and release of police exhibits, failures to properly account for exhibits, and the insecure storage of firearms, creating significant risks to public safety and national security.”
According to the group, “The diversion of funds meant for policing, abandoned security projects, missing firearms and ammunition, and the misuse of police exhibits undermine the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force, weaken public confidence and may contribute to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.”
The letter, read in part: “The report documented numerous alleged financial irregularities within the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, including payments for projects that were never executed, abandoned contracts, inflated contract costs, and irregular procurement.”
“The report also documented unretired cash advances, unsettled insurance claims, payments for services allegedly not rendered, and other suspected diversion and misapplication of public funds amounting to over ₦6.79 billion.”
“The allegations also include missing firearms and ammunition, the unauthorised use and release of police exhibits, failures to properly account for recovered firearms and other exhibits, and the insecure storage of firearms, posing serious risks to public safety and national security.”
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal action to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
Some of the others include: N499,875,500.00 for the construction of Police College Phase II, Bashar, Plateau State; N12,931,000.00 for the rehabilitation of Block B, Department of Logistics and Supply (Works) building, Garki; N111,635,864.64 for the construction of 12 one-bedroom transit camp units and rehabilitation of the administration block at the NPF Pre-retirement Skills Acquisition Centre, Kudana, Kaduna State; N4,011,627.89 inserted as taxes to inflate a contract; N1,938,299,452.00 for 14 ongoing projects that were abandoned; N5,050,000.00 in monetary exhibits released without proper authorisation; N112,026,424.00 for outstanding allowances paid to officers to cover 2020 liabilities; and N6,000,000.00 as annual payment to the Inspector General of Police’s Senior Special Assistant on Revenue and Tax Matters.
Others include N10,080,000.00 as cash advances for the provision of office equipment and accessories for the NPF Database Management Centre; N438,066,845.73 for the supply of bulletproof vests, ballistic helmets and procurement of a Styr Punch Vistar troop carrier; N18,000,000.00 for the training of women in cosmetology and provision of empowerment kits in Ondo Central Senatorial District, Ondo State; N258,989,999.75 for the procurement of 10 JAC patrol vehicles for NPF outpost stations in Kano State; N30,853,250.00 as security allowances for personnel attached to the Ministry of Police Affairs; N681,406,593.18 for the settlement of insurance claims through insurance brokers; N1,628,108,434.18 for outstanding insurance policy liabilities for 2020/2021; N57,484,515.30 for the procurement of video cameras, customised umbrellas, gift bags and customised towels for the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Office; N7,760,409.56 in withholding tax and value added tax that was not deducted from contracts awarded.
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